Improvement in folding bedsteads



ITED ES PATENT SANFORD sfnonmor' o IoAoo, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT INFOLDIN'G BEDSTEADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,379, dated December 9, 1879; application filed May 7,1879.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, SANFORD S. BURR,-of Ghicago, Cook county, in the-State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful 1m- I proveme'nts in Folding Bedsteads, of which p the following is a specification.

My invention relates to foldingbedsteads of the kind described in my Letters Patent No.

T 179,513, dated, July 4', 1876, subsequently reissued, No. 7,892, September 18, 187 7, and'N 0. 191,651, dated June 5, 187 7-that is to say, a bedstead in which the folding-bed frame is combined with a flexible bed-bottom attached to the frame by its ends only, and under tension only when the'frame is unfolded.

My improvement consists in attaching the bed-bottom atone of its ends not directly to the bed-frame, but to across bar or frame hinged or pivoted tothe bed-frame, using, preferably,

I am enabled in this way to bring the to the bottom or under side of the bed, and by thus raising this point of attachment I am enabled to bring the line of tension of the bedbottom much nearer to a line passing through the pivot or axis of the hinge that unites the i two sections of the bed-frame, thus requiring .but a slight tilting of the sections to bring thejoint or hinge to a position .where the outer section may be easily lifted and folded over onto the inner section.

My invention further consists in combining with the bed-bottom and the foldin g-bed frame a yielding or spring support, which extends transversely of the bed-frame and serves to uphold the bed-bottom, with 'a view to preventit from sagging. This support is so placed that it does not interfere at all with the bedbottom or bedding when the bedstead is folded up, and yet acts as a material support to the bed-bottom when the bed is unfolded. It has the further advantage that it permits me to I use a less expensive topcovering-such, for instance, as canvas. This portion of my inor suitable manner.

vention can be used independently of-the hinged or pivoted cross-bar improvement hereinbefore referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an unfolded folding bedstead embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse'vertical section of the samefolded up, with the mattress indicated by dotted I lines. Fig. 3 is a View of the central'port-ion of the bed-frame, with the bed-bottom'iirdicated by dotted lines, in order to illustrate more clearly the arrangement of the elastic central support. tic and yielding support, which may be substituted for that shown in Fig. 3.

aforesaid Letters Patent. At one end it is secured to the outer section, 0, in any ordinary At the other end, instead of being attached directly to the end of the inner section, B, it is fastened to a cross-bar, E, carried by radial arms F, hung on pivots C in the side rails of section B. The cross-bar, when the bed-frame is extended and the bedbottom is under tension, occupies the position shown in Fig. 1; and when the bedstead is folded up-the cross-bar occupies the position shown'in Fig. 2, where it is quite out of the way, and does not interfere with other parts of the bedstead, or with the mattress or bedding.

The advantages of the arrangement have before been stated, and need not lac-repeated. The outer portions of the bed-frame section are supported, when unfolded, by means of legs d d e e, which may be detachable, or artion 13,1 place the hereinbefore-referred to Fig. 4 is a view of an elaselastic support, which in this instance consists of a row of spiral springs, f, extending transversely of the bed-bottom.

To avoid rendering the drawing obscure, I have represented but a few springs in Fig. 1. It will be understood, however, that the springs extend from side to side of the bed-frame, and in such proximity to one another as circumstances may require. It will be seen that they afford an effective support for the bed-bottom when the bed is unfolded, while they are out of the way of and do not interfere with the bed-bottom and bedding when the bed is folded up. If desired, two or more springs need only be employed, a transverse slat or light bar being placed above and upheld by them to act as the support; or, in lieu of that arrangement, I can employ other forms of yielding support-such, for instance, as the cross-bar 9, (shown in Fig.4,) to be suspended transversely in proper position between the side rails by means of springs 11., which would be fastened to the side rails.

Havingdescribed my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a folding bedstead of the kind described, the combination, with the bed-frame sections, of a flexible bed-bottom secured at one of its ends to one of the sections and at its other end to a cross-bar or frame loosely hinged or pivoted to the other section, so that it may drop or fall to the under side of the bedstead when the latter is folded, substantially as shown and set forth.

2. The combination, with the sectional fold in g-bed frame and the flexible bed-bottom attached by its ends only to said frame, of the transverse elastic support unattached to the bed-bottom, and entirely free therefrom when the bed is folded, and secured to and carried by one of the sections of said bed-frame, substantially as hereinhefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of April, A. D. 1879.

SANFORD S. BURR' In presence of- J OIIN H. Voecr,

WILLIAM HAYDEN, C. FRANK WEBER. 

